May 7
Events * 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses. Justinian I immediately orders the dome rebuilt. *1274 - In France, the Second Council of Lyons opens to regulate the election of the Pope. *1298 - Colocation of the first stone of Barcelona's Cathedral. *1429 - Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning wounded to lead the final charge. The victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years' War. *1664 - Louis XIV of France inaugurates The Palace of Versailles. *1697 - Stockholm's royal castle (dating back to medieval times) is destroyed in a huge fire (in the 18th century, it is replaced with the current Royal Palace). *1763 - Indian Wars: Pontiac's Rebellion begins - Chief Pontiac begins the "Conspiracy of Pontiac" by attacking British forces at Fort Detroit. *1824 - World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. Work was conducted by Michael Umlauf, under the deaf composer's supervision. *1832 - Greece is recognised independent by the Treaty of London. Otto of Wittelsbach, Prince of Bavaria is chosen King. *1836 - The settlement of Mayagüez is elevated to the royal status of villa by the government of Spain. *1840 - The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, killing 317 people. It is the second deadliest tornado in U.S. history. *1847 - In Philadelphia, the American Medical Association (AMA) is founded. *1864 - American Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards. *1895 - In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention - the first in the world radio receiver. In the former Soviet Union this day is celebrated as Day of Radio. *1915 - World War I: a German submarine U-20 sinks the [[Wikipedia:RMS Lusitania|RMS Lusitania]], killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turned many formerly pro-Germans in the United States of America against the German Empire. *1920 - Kiev Offensive: Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force captured Kiev only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later. * 1920 - Treaty of Moscow: Soviet Russia recognizes independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later. *1927 - Angelos Sikelianos organizes the first Delphic Festival in Delphi to celebrate the ancient Greek Delphic ideal. *1937 - Spanish Civil War: The German Condor Legion, equipped with Heinkel He 51 biplanes, arrive in Spain to assist Franco's forces. *1945 - World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany's participation in the war. The document will take effect the next day. *1946 - Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with about 20 employees. *1947 - Kraft Television Theater debuts, running for the next 11 years. *1948 - The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress. *1952 - The concept for the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer. *1954 - Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat (the battle began on March 13). *1960 - Cold War: U-2 Crisis - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers. *1964 - Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, a Fairchild F-27 airliner, crashes near San Ramon, killing all 44 aboard; the FBI later reports that a cockpit recorder tape indicates that the pilot and co-pilot had been shot by a suicidal passenger. *1974 - West German Chancellor Willy Brandt resigns. *1992 - Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment bars the U.S. Congress from giving itself a mid-term pay raise. * 1992 - [[Wikipedia:Space Shuttle Endeavour|Space Shuttle Endeavour]] is launched on its maiden voyage (STS-49). mission logo.]] * 1992 - Three employees at a McDonald's Restaurant in Sydney, Canada, are brutally murdered and a fourth permanently disabled after a botched robbery. It is the first fast-food murder in Canada. *1998 - Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history. *1999 - Pope John Paul II travels to Romania becoming the first pope that had visited a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054. * 1999 - A jury finds The Jenny Jones Show and Warner Bros. liable in the shooting death of Scott Amedure, after the show purposely deceived Jonathan Schmitz to appear on a secret same-sex crush episode. Schmitz later killed Amedure and the jury awarded Amedure's family US$25 million. * 1999 - Kosovo War: In Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, three Chinese citizens are killed and 20 wounded when a NATO aircraft bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. * 1999 - In Guinea-Bissau, President João Bernardo Vieira is ousted in a military coup. *2002 - A China Southern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people. *2005 - Former Lebanese Prime Minister, General Michel Aoun returns to Lebanon after 15 years in exile. *2006 - Rolling Stone magazine publishes its 1000th issue. *2007 - The tomb of Herod the Great is discovered. * 2007 - Windows Live Hotmail was launched and replaced MSN Hotmail. Births *1328 - Louis VI the Roman, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1365) *1530 - Louis I de Bourbon, French Huguenot general (d. 1569) *1643 - Stephanus Van Cortlandt, American politician (d. 1700) *1700 - Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-born physician (d. 1772) *1724 - Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, Austrian general (d. 1797) *1740 - Nikolai Arkharov, Russian general (d. 1814) *1748 - Olympe de Gouges, playwright and feminist revolutionary (d. 1793) *1763 - Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Polish prince (d. 1813) *1767 - Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of York and Albany (d. 1820) *1774 - William Bainbridge, American Commodore (d. 1833) *1787 - Jacques Viger, French Canadian politician, first mayor of Montreal (d. 1858) *1812 - Robert Browning, English poet (d. 1889) *1833 - Johannes Brahms, German composer (d. 1897) *1840 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer (d. 1893) *1847 - Archibald Primrose, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1929) *1857 - William A. MacCorkle, American politician (d. 1930) *1861 - Rabindranath Tagore, Indian writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1941) *1867 - Władysław Reymont, Polish writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1925) *1882 - Willem Elsschot, Flemish writer (d. 1960) *1885 - George 'Gabby' Hayes, American actor (d. 1969) *1891 - Harry McShane, Scottish socialist (d. 1988) *1892 - Archibald MacLeish, American Librarian of Congress (d. 1982) * 1892 - Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia (d. 1980) *1893 - Frank J. Selke, Canadian ice hockey manager (d. 1985) *1896 - Pavel Sergeevich Alexandrov, Russian mathematician (d. 1982) *1901 - Gary Cooper, American actor (d. 1961) *1909 - Edwin H. Land, American inventor (d. 1991) *1911 - Ishiro Honda, Japanese film director (d. 1993) *1916 - Huw Wheldon, British broadcaster (d. 1986) *1917 - David Tomlinson, English film actor (d. 2000) *1919 - Eva Peron, Argentine first lady (d. 1952) *1922 - Lew Anderson, American actor and bandleader (d. 2006) * 1922 - Darren McGavin, American actor (d. 2006) * 1922 - Joe O'Donnell, American documentary photographer, photojournalist (d. 2007) *1923 - Anne Baxter, American actress (d. 1985) *1924 - Albert Band, American film director (d. 2002) *1927 - Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, German screenwriter * 1927 - Jim Lowe, American singer *1929 - Babe Parilli, American football player * 1929 - Dick Williams, American baseball player, manager and coach *1930 - Totie Fields, American comedienne (d. 1978) *1931 - Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer (d. 2007) *1933 - Johnny Unitas, American football player (d. 2002) * 1933 - Nexhmije Pagarusha, Albanian singer *1935 - Isobel Warren, Canadian author *1939 - Sidney Altman, Canadian molecular biologist, Nobel laureate * 1939 - Ruud Lubbers, Prime Minister of the Netherlands * 1939 - Johnny Maestro, American pop singer * 1939 - Jimmy Ruffin, American singer * 1939 - Ruggero Deodato, Italian film director, actor and screen writer *1940 - Angela Carter, English novelist and journalist (d. 1992) *1941 - Catherine P. Saxton, British-born American public relations executive *1943 - Harvey Andrews, English singer and songwriter *1944 - Eva Norvind, Mexican actress (d. 2006) *1945 - Christy Moore, Irish folk artist * 1945 - Robin Strasser, American TV soap opera actress *1946 - Thelma Houston, American singer * 1946 - Bill Kreutzmann, American drummer (Grateful Dead) * 1946 - Brian Turner, English celebrity chef *1950 - Randall 'Tex' Cobb, American boxer and actor * 1950 - Tim Russert, American television host *1951 - Robert Hegyes, American actor *1954 - Philippe Geluck, Belgian cartoonist * 1954 - Amy Heckerling, American director *1955 - Ben Poquette, American basketball player * 1955 - Tim Richmond, American race car driver. * 1955 - Kevin Reed, American theologian *1956 - Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands * 1956 - Anne Dudley, British composer * 1956 - Jean Lapierre, Canadian politician and television host *1957 - Ray Fernandez, wrestler (d. 2004) *1959 - Barbara Yung Mei-ling, Hong Kong actress (d. 1985) * 1959 - Michael E. Knight, American actor *1960 - Almudena Grandes, Spanish novelist *1961 - Phil Campbell, British musician (Motörhead) *1963 - Johnny Lee Middleton, American musician (Savatage & Trans-Siberian Orchestra) *1965 - Owen Hart, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1999) * 1965 - Norman Whiteside, Northern Irish Footballer *1968 - Traci Lords, American actress *1969 - Eagle Eye Cherry, Swedish musician * 1969 - Rick Porras, American co-producer *1972 - Frank Trigg, Mixed Martial Arts Fighter *1973 - Kristian Lundin, Swedish songwriter * 1973 - Paolo Savoldelli, Italian cyclist *1974 - Breckin Meyer, American actor * 1974 - Ian Pearce, English footballer *1975 - Jason Tunks, Canadian track & field athlete * 1975 - Nicole Sheridan, American porn star * 1975 - Zee, American hip hop artist *1977 - Lisa Kelly, Irish singer *1978 - Brian Clevinger, American author *1978 - Stian Arnesen (Nagash/Lex Icon), Norwegian Black Metal musician * 1978 - Shawn Marion, American basketball player *1979 - Katie Douglas, American basketball player *1980 - Johan Kenkhuis, Dutch swimmer *1984 - Alex Smith, American football player * 1984 - Drew Stanton, American football player *1985 - Drew Neitzel, American college basketball player *1986 - Mark Furze, Australian actor *1986 - Matt Helders, Musician, Drummer for Arctic Monkeys *1987 - Michael Maidens, English footballer (d. 2007) * 1987 - Dennis Mak, Chinese singer (Sun Boy'z) Deaths * 973 - Otto I (b. 912) *1092 - Remigius de Fécamp, first bishop of Lincoln (b. unknown) *1427 - Thomas la Warr, English churchman *1523 - Franz von Sickingen, German soldier (b. 1481) *1539 - Guru Nanak Dev, Founder of Sikhism (b. 1469) * 1539 - Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (b. 1466) *1615 - Sanada Yukimura, Japanese samurai (b. 1567) *1617 - David Fabricius, German astronomer (b. 1564) *1667 - Johann Jakob Froberger, German composer (b. 1616) *1682 - Tsar Feodor III of Russia (b. 1661) *1718 - Mary of Modena, wife of James II of England (b. 1658) *1793 - Pietro Nardini, Italian composer (b. 1722) *1800 - Niccola Piccinni, Italian composer (b. 1728) *1805 - William Petty, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1737) *1825 - Antonio Salieri, Italian composer (b. 1750) *1840 - Caspar David Friedrich, German painter (b. 1774) *1868 - Henry Peter Brougham, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1778) *1876 - William Buell Sprague, American clergyman and author (b. 1795) *1896 - H. H. Holmes, American serial killer (b. 1861) *1922 - Max Wagenknecht, German composer (b. 1857) *1925 - William Hesketh Lever, First Viscount Leverhulme (b. 1851) *1940 - George Lansbury, Labour Party Leader (b. 1859) *1941 - Sir James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (b. 1854) *1942 - Felix Weingartner, Yugoslavian conductor (b. 1863) *1951 - Warner Baxter, American actor (b. 1889) *1967 - Lorenzo Bandini, Italian Formula One pilot (b. 1935 *1987 - Colin Blakely, British actor (b. 1930) *1989 - Guy Williams, American actor (b. 1924) *1995 - Ray McKinley, American jazz drummer, singer and bandleader (b. 1910) *1998 - Allan McLeod Cormack, South African physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1924) * 1998 - Eddie Rabbitt, American musician (b. 1941) *2000 - Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (b. 1909) *2002 - Seattle Slew, American racehorse (b. 1974) *2004 - Waldemar Milewicz, Polish reporter (b. 1956) *2005 - Tristan Egolf, American writer (b. 1971) * 2005 - Peter W. Rodino, American politician (b. 1909) * 2005 - Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (b. 1980) *2006 - Richard Carleton, Australian news reporter (b.1943) * 2006 - Joan C. Edwards, American philanthropist (b. 1918) * 2006 - Machiko Soga, Japanese actress, singer, and tokusatsu legend (b. 1943) *2007 - Diego Corrales, American boxer (b. 1977) * 2007 - Octavian Paler, Romanian writer and journalist (b. 1926) * 2007 - Yahweh ben Yahweh, American cult leader (b. 1935) Holidays and observances *Russia - Radio Day (commemorating the work of Alexander Popov) *Bulgaria - Radio and Television Day (see above) Liturgical feasts *Acacius of Byzantium *Saint Domitian of Huy, the apostle of the Meuse valley *Saint Flavia Domitilla *Blessed Gisela (d. 1060) *John of Beverley External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- May 07